A new environmentally friendly method for the production of 2,3,5-trimethyl-p-benzoquinone

A new environmentally friendly method for the production of 2,3,5-trimethyl-1,4-benzoquinone (TMBQ, Vitamin E precursor) based on the oxidation of 2,3,6-trimethylphenol (TMP) with aqueous H₂O₂ over various Ti-containing mesoporous silicate materials is reported. Both well-organized Ti-containing mesoporous mesophase silicate (Ti-MMM), having hexagonal arrangement of uniform mesopores, and amorphous TiO₂–SiO₂ mixed oxides (aerogels and xerogels) produced TMBQ with good to high yield. All the materials studied have been proved to operate as truly heterogeneous catalysts. No titanium leaching occurred from the solid matrixes during the oxidation process. Titanium dispersion and its accessibility were found to be crucial factors determining the catalytic properties. For samples with similar titanium loading, both the catalytic activity and TMBQ yield appeared to fall in the order TiO₂–SiO₂ aerogel>Ti-MMM>TiO₂–SiO₂ xerogel and correlate with average mesopore diameter and mesopore volume. The best results (96–98% selectivity to TMBQ at 99–100% TMP conversion) were obtained with TiO₂–SiO₂ aerogels, containing 1.7–6.5 wt.% Ti.